The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1887-07-07
FORGOTTEN DEAD.
Statesmen Buried in the Congress
sionai Cemetery.
An Institution Kept Up by d Church Tar:
ish-Partiai List OF Those Who There
Sleep the Eternal slumber.


WASHINGTON, June 20 The Congress
sional Cemetery is likely TO be brought
little more into notice by some improve
ments going on in the city Massachu.
setts avenue is now being paved and made
available for driving In thatdirection, and
the new bridge TO be erected over the Po;
tomac at tho end Of Pennsylvania avenue,
just beyond the city limits, makes that
avenue more Of thoroughfarc than for
merly. So the distinguished dead will not
rest in the absolute silence and almost
neglect from the general public that has
seemed TO be the case In former years. The
Cemetery Association keeps the grounds
In good condition, whether the relatives Of
distinguished dead give them any attention
| or not. The cemetery is not in any sense
public or national one as its name would
indicate, but Is owned and managed by the
| parish Of Christ Episcopal Church OF this
city. II acquired the title of Congression-
| al Cemetery from the fact that Senators
| and Representatives who died while in the
| performance Of their duties in this city
were buried in this graveyard. The first
| who was buried there was Hon. Uriah
Tracy, Senator from Conne0icut, who died
| In April, 1907. He had been Major-Gen-
eral In the Revolutionary army, and when
he died Congress- appropriated money TO
| place monument over his remains. This
| precedent once established was con-
tinued, and from that time until 1851 a
monument or cenotaph was placed in this
| burial ground In memory OF every Senator
or Representative who died, whether he
was buried there or not. The next distin-
/ 4
Representative from New Jersey, who
died July 2S 1903. Near by his resting
place is the lot OF the Dear family, who
were friends of Washington. Then there
is the tomb Of Elbridge Gerry, Vice Presi-
dent OF the United States, who died on his
way TO the Capitol 10 preside over the
Senate on November %, 1914, aged seventy
years, "thus fulhlling.n according to the
inscription, "his own memorable injunc-
tion, 1T is the duty OF every citizen, though
he may have but one day 10 live, TO devote
that day TO the good Of his country'n
The monument was erected by Congress.
Not far of is the grave Of Major General
George Clinton, who was also Vice Pres
ident, surmounted by a monument which
contains bas relief portrait of the de-
ceased which is said 10 be an excellent
likeness. As every body knows there
have been no burials of Congressman in
this cemetery for some years. Probably
the last one was that Of Senator Brown, Of
West Virginia, who died in 1864, and was
buried there. For years Congress went
on erecting ''cenotaphs" in the cemetery
TO the memory of rulers who died during
their term Of service, but this practice has
hann uhandnnad "a Thaaa aYhe ~
were cubes, perhaps four feet each way,
surmounted by round block On each
was cut the name Of the member in whose
memory 1t was erected. One of the most
interesting monuments is that erected TO
the celebrated Indian Push hna-la-la, who
was chief of the Choctaw tribe, Quito
a number Of Indians are buried in this
cemetery, but none of the others 9
marked in SO pretentious style as the
celebrated Choctaw.